New header

I've put up a new header for the blog. It's not taken by me (picture courtesy: J Smith Holiday Images), but it is at least of Singapore. This is the view of Boat Quay in Singapore, with the statue of Sir Stamford Raffles standing at what is believed to be his landing spot on the Singapore river. The pubs weren't thereat the time, of course, but this area has become a favourite landing spot of tourists and bankers in the business district. Across the water s the Penny Black pub, where we bought t-shirts and drank beer at midnight.

Question: who's that in the picture with me? Hint: he was looking for chicken wings.....

boats and cars

This weekend saw us head off to Vivocity for a gentle stroll around the madness that is shopping. We had heard that a tall shop had docked in Singapore following a journey from Sweden, so we were intrigued. Could a tall ship make it this far? Of course, they did it in the spice trade days…could a tall ship make it to Singapore now, in the middle of busy shipping lanes and the South China Sea? Apparently so.

We were amazed when we turned a corner at Vivocity to be greeted by the suitably majestic Swedish Ship Götheborg. It was quite an impressive sight, and had been docked in Singapore since New Year’s Eve, when they arrived. Inside Vivocity there was a small exhibition on Sweden and famous Swedes (no mentioned of Graham Taylor, funnily enough, although I guess technically he was a turnip), and some nice pictures of Götheborg in days of yore.

Later that day we headed over the Bugis to test out some carrot cake (we devised a whole series of criteria, actually – all very scientific – and the results are on Elena’s blog). Whilst we were there we saw a few cars for sale. Cars in Singapore are traditionally very expensive (the New Mini goes for around $120,000), so when I saw that the Chevrolet was on sale for $21,000 I had to sit in it and check it out! Quite a nice car, and ideal for a small country like Singapore. However, I would fear for anyone over 5’6”, as I was in the back when I put the seat back far enough to be comfortable (listen to me; I’ve come over all Jeremy Clarkson).

Rain...again

It’s raining in Singapore again. It seems as though the rainy season is well and truly upon us, and there have been flash floods in quite a few places around the island. To be honest, I have never seen rain like it; I waited in the office for the rain to subside before I took my lunch today, and dashed out when it stopped. However, it started again after about 2 minutes, and I am wet to my knees now!!

Incidentally, the Korean superstar Jung Ji Hoon (aka 'Rain') is coming to Singapore to perform, amongst other Asian countries. Korean Air have agreed to sponsor the trip, and a plane with 'Rain's Coming' painted on the side will ferry him around. That’s all we need: a plane advertising the monsoon season flying around…

Thos who are interested in these kind of things will be delighted to know that I had bak chor mee for lunch today.

Some of you may recall that last autumn saw Singapore host the World Bank/IMF meetings. The level of security around the island was immense, and we al felt very safe as we went about our business. Here's a picture of me taken around that time, in front of some solid-looking crash barriers. Off-picture are several Ghurkhas, and a whole platoon of policemen.

Christmas turkey...

We had our postponed Christmas dinner on New Year ’s Eve here. Elena and I (and you will know who the emphasis is on) cooked up a treat in the kitchen, having scoured the island for turkey (we brought a pre-cooked one t hint end, for a third of the price), stuffing mix, potatoes, bread sauce (cooked from scratch),and so on. We even produced a puff-pastry apple pie for pudds (that’s us on the left watching the pie cook in the oven).

Again, thanks to all who sent us cards, and a happy new year to all.

Far left: Dinner; near left: pie

Malacca

I've finally gotten around to uploading the pictures I have taken over the last few months, hence the the prodigious level of posts. Now, time to turn attention to our trip to Malacca at the end of November. Malacca is a pretty, interesting town about half-way up Malaysia, one of those towns that various colonial powers have fought over in the past couple of centuries. Some of you may remember that the last time I went to Malacca I was sick for a few days, so this was a chance to see the town and actually take in sights other than public conveniences. The journey itself is a 5-6 hour drive along Malaysian roads, although there is always a stop for some fantastic food at the equivalent of our petrol stops along the motorway. (Number one being the Ramlee Burger.The scenery along the way is great, and always serves as a reminder of how rich Malaysia actually is in natural resources, with Palm Oil plantations all along the road.

As a result of its strategic position in the eponymously titled-Straits, Malacca was home to the Dutch, the Portuguese, and the Brits. Places like the red church are a testament to this, and have left an interesting tapestry of architecture.

The food in Malacca is also pretty interesting, and again reflects the history of the town. Ice Kacang s perhaps one of the more famous, although the wonton mee is also tip-top. Another thing that you will see (and hear) in Malacca is the army of cycle rickshaws that pedal around the town, ferrying tourists to and fro. A recent addition to these traditional bikes is a loud-speaker stereo, so you can hear them coming a mile off! They're also pretty heavily decorated, covered in colourful garlands and other eye catching dangly things.

Is it a bird, is it a plane, or even a moth?

Here's a picture of the moth that we found on the wall a few months ago (yes, it took a while to post). It was about 12 inches across, and just seemed to sit there for a while.

We're not sure if it is a moth, or a butterfly, so any suggestions greatly welcomed.